crutch vs remedy

crutch

noun
  • Something that supports, often used negatively to indicate that it is not needed and causes an unhealthful dependency; a prop 

  • A knee, or piece of knee timber. 

  • A device to assist in motion as a cane, especially one that provides support under the arm to reduce weight on a leg. 

  • A forked stanchion or post; a crotch. 

  • A type of cross formed from two C-shapes joined back to back. 

  • A form of pommel for a woman's saddle, consisting of a forked rest to hold the leg of the rider. 

  • A crotch; the area of body where the legs fork from the trunk. 

verb
  • to stir with a crutch. 

  • To support on crutches; to prop up. 

  • To move on crutches. 

  • To shear the hindquarters of a sheep; to dag. 

remedy

noun
  • Something that corrects or counteracts. 

  • A medicine, application, or treatment that relieves or cures a disease. 

  • The accepted tolerance or deviation in fineness or weight in the production of gold coins etc. 

  • The legal means to recover a right or to prevent or obtain redress for a wrong. 

verb
  • To provide or serve as a remedy for. 

How often have the words crutch and remedy occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )